Why do religious people so often think atheists believe in nothing and stand for nothing? They couldn’t be more wrong.
I stand for believing only things that are true.
I stand for equal rights, equal opportunities and non-discrimination on grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, age, disability and more.
I believe in treating my fellow humans with respect and preserving their dignity. I like to help people where I reasonably can, and I dislike harming people. I even try hard to avoid inconveniencing people—so you won’t find me playing loud music that disturbs my neighbours, pushing to the front of queues, or parking in a disabled spot without entitlement. But you will see me stopping in my car to let other cars pass when traffic is heavy.
I believe it is important to be tolerant of differences in lifestyles, dress codes and so on, so long as no-one is being harmed.
I believe we should take care of the planet and pass it on to our children in the best possible, sustainable condition.
Rather than dominion over animals as the Bible teaches, I believe we have a duty of care for animals.
I stand for rational enquiry and an evidence-based approach to medicine, education and government policy-making—in fact for everything. I could go on…
Rather than standing for nothing, I may stand for more than most religious people. All atheists are different but, I think many of them share my values.
I wish more religious people did.
